


A Power Struggle is Not Good for a Kit

by moretrash



Series: Dads of Marmora [44]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: But he goes about it in the wrong way, Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Dehydration, Evil Blade of Marmora Characters, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Minor Injuries, Power Struggle, Regris is a good big brother, Self-Sacrifice, Starvation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-21 22:08:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16585142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moretrash/pseuds/moretrash
Summary: Kolivan has always been well aware of those blades who oppose his leadership style. He usually ignored it, he wasn't in the business of telling people how to think.However, he never thought they would go so far as to use his kits against him.





	A Power Struggle is Not Good for a Kit

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt:
> 
> "If you're still taking requests for dad's of Marmora story, then this is something I want to see: There is an internal battle for leadership within the blade. Koliben and the others want to protect their kit, but they are taken hostage"

To most of the blades, Kolivan was a good leader. 

To some, he wasn’t a good leader at all.

Word had spread quickly throughout the various bases that Kolivan had recently taken in not one, not two, but three kits. Some blades believed that this development was making Kolivan soft, losing his hard edge. However, this was hardly the case.

Sure, Kolivan was gentle and loving to his kits, but he was still strict and unrelenting in his running of the blades. If anything, having his kits led to Kolivan being more strict with protocol, if only for the safety of his kits. Still, it benefitted all packs, since it reduced injury risk. 

Kolivan could often be found full of laughter and smiles and gentleness with his kits, but he was still strict. He was a fair leader, taking everyone’s views into account and making sure the outlier bases were secure at all times. He had flaws, and he sometimes wasn’t aware of issues experienced by other bases, but he tried his hardest to keep up to date with how every base was faring and what issues they were having. 

However, that didn’t stop some people from opposing him. 

Kolivan knew of these attempts at opposition, of course. He ignored it, for the most part; he wasn’t one to tell people how to think. If they didn’t like his leading style, so be it, he wasn’t going to force anybody to like him. However, when some groups got violent, he was forced to react. He didn’t want his pack members, his mate, or heaven forbid, his kits, to be caught in the crossfire of his own problems.

-

Keith liked interacting with the blades that visited from other bases. Depending on the location of the base, some of them had more part-Galra from certain species if the base was close to their home planet, and Keith loved learning about their culture and learning small bits of their native languages that weren’t Galran. 

In return, many of the blades he interacted with enjoyed talking to him. It was refreshing witness the curiosity and energy of a kit. On top of that, Keith was just nice to talk to, polite and entertaining.

Of course, there were Galra that were rude to the youngest kit in the base. Though, the more Keith thought about it, many the people who were rude to him were the same people who opposed Kolivan, as if they were only doing it because of his close relationship to the leader of the blades. He didn’t mind at all, he had plenty of other people to talk to if he so well pleased. 

The entire headquarters was full of blades who were willing to have a conversation with him and tell him about other parts of the universe that he hadn’t been to. He preferred to be in the company of his pack, but he didn’t mind the other blades. They were gentle and kind to him, and were very caring. Life was never boring within the blades, in Keith’s opinion, for he was always engaged in an interesting activity or lounging with his pack. 

-

Keith knew of the fact that a group from a far off base were set to arrive at the headquarters for meetings with Kolivan. The youngest kit was determined to have a conversation with at least one of the members of the group, as he had learned that a kit’s natural curiosity and personality was refreshing to those who had travelled a long distance. 

However, first, Keith wanted to rest. 

Could anyone blame him? He had spent all morning training, and he was tired. Plus, curling up with his mother, sister, and brother was extremely relaxing. So, he didn’t feel bad when he nestled into Krolia’s side with a soft purr. Regris curled up on her other side and Acxa settled on top of the motherly figure. Krolia smiled and draped a blanket over each of the kits; Regris’ was lighter due to his fur keeping him plenty warm, while Acxa’s and Keith’s were thicker due to their general lack of fur. They both had thin layers of fur, but not enough to keep them warm on the cold base. 

It didn’t take long for Keith to fall asleep. He was already tired out from his intense training, plus the fact that Krolia was rumbling constantly to soothe the three kits to sleep. He wrapped his tail around his mother and closed his eyes, his breathing soon evening out as he drifted off to sleep. 

-

“Good morning, leader.” Kolivan glanced up at the sound, smiling when he saw three Galra standing in the doorway of his office. They were a group from a base that was on the outskirts of a recently-liberated planet system. Prior to the liberation, it had been a risky position to place a base in; the empire forces that controlled the area could have discovered the base and destroyed it. Now, it was actually a nice place the to positioned; blades could help with rebuilding destroyed area of the planets and create alliances with the leaders of the planets. It took a while to get the leaders to trust them, but they had eventually convinced the leaders of the fact that they were against everything the Galran empire stood for. 

“Good morning. Come on in. I trust you had a safe travel?” Kolivan asked. Vrix, one of the three blades, nodded and stepped into the office, letting his two companions, Thinzal and Vezan, follow him in. Vezan was on the smaller side for Galra, a little bigger then Regris, causing Kolivan to always think he was an older kit who hadn’t yet reached their last growth spurt before maturity. Though, Kolivan knew that Vezan was only a bit younger than him. 

Thinzal looked fairly average for Galra in terms of height and build. He was a little taller than Thace and had a medium build, with dark purple-blue scales instead of fur. Scales were a possible trait for Galra to have, though the gene was becoming rarer in recent generations. 

Vrix was very clearly the leader of their little group. He had a large build, though he was only about Kolivan’s height. He seemed to intimidate the other two, as they seemed to quiet down in Vrix’s presence. It made Kolivan feel a bit disturbed; in his opinion, the leader should never intimidate or scare their group, no matter how big or small. Kolivan prided himself on the fact that he didn’t appear intimidating to his fellow blades outside of missions. Sure, people quieted down and were more polite around him out of natural respect, but not intimidation. 

“Yes, leader. We had smooth travel from our location.” Vrix answered. 

 

“I am glad to hear that. You must surely feel worn out from your travels, so I will make this short. Your quarters for the duration of your stay will be in our guest room hallways, room 200. There are nesting materials provided, however, if you feel you need or want more, there are supply closest filled with blankets and pillows at the end of each hallway. Our dining hall is open until midnight, however, it is typically recognized that ten to midnight are cleaning and prepping times, and our chefs would appreciate it if you stopped by and picked up a few snacks for a late-night snack rather than going to visit.” Kolivan said.

“Thank you, leader. Shall we start our conversations soon?” Vrix suggested. Kolivan was reluctant to agree, cemented by the fact that Vezlan and Thinzal were yawning, clearly preferring to rest rather participate in an important series of meetings. 

“I think it would be better if we held off until later today or tomorrow. You three need to rest before engaging in such important discussion.” Kolivan said. Vrix glanced back at his two companions before nodding, leading the two out of the room and to their guest room. As they left his office, Kolivan swore that he could hear Vrix scolding the group for showing signs of weakness. Thoroughly disturbed, Kolivan made a mental note to talk to Thinzal and Vezlan without Vrix to see if he had heard what he thought he had. 

-

Vrix frowned at the two Galra that had accompanied him to the headquarters.

“Why would you yawn? You need to portray a strong persona if we’re ever going to take power.” Vrix said. Vezlan blinked and yawned again.

“Yawning is an involuntary action, Vrix. It is unavoidable. Besides, you are the only one of us who really cares about taking power.” Vezlan said. Vrix growled at him.

“Besides that point, I have a plan that would definitely convince Kolivan to give up power.” Vrix said. Thinzal raised a questioning eyebrow, prompting their leader to continue. “We take his kits back to our base, and refuse to return them until he steps down from power.” Vrix explained. 

“That is wrong on so many levels. First of all, kits are precious. Second of all, two of his kits, as far as I understand, were taken in from packless situations. If we took their kits and made them nervous about the possibility of being taken again, Kolivan will not hesitate to give the slowest, most painful death possible.” Thinzal questioned. Vrix shrugged and adjusted their course to go to Kolivan’s pack room. 

-

It wasn’t rare that naps were disturbed for the three kits of Krolia’s pack. Most often, it was another member of the pack slipping in, and the kits were awoken by the door opening. However, it didn’t take long to get back to sleep since the pack member tried their best to be as quiet as possible.

Then, there were times like this. Krolia was awoken first by the door opening. She glanced over, expecting to see Thace or Ulaz sneaking in, careful to avoid making excessive amounts of noise. However, she was surprised to see three Galra she had never before met.

“I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong room.” Krolia said, instinctively moving in front of her kits and closer to the other three Galra to protect them. 

“No, we have the correct room.” Vrix said. Keith looked up and glanced sleepily at them, hissing and clinging to Krolia. He was always a bit irritable after being abruptly woken up. “Hello, little kit. Would you like to come with us?” Vrix said gently. Keith shook his head and growled in warning, clinging to Krolia. 

Acxa shuffled closer to them and lazily purred in content when Krolia rubbed her back. She looked perfectly content to go back to sleep until she saw Vrix.

“Mom, I do not like these three.” She mumbled to her mother. Krolia nodded and held her daughter close, moving Regris closer to her. Regris whined in his sleep, his eyes slowly blinking open. He looked around and shuffled closer to Krolia, growling in warning to the three Galra in the doorway. Regris was very territorial over the nest and was never too happy about anyone invading his pack’s space. 

“Well, too bad. You will come with us.” Vrix said, reaching forward and tugging Keith out of Krolia’s arms. Keith hissed and thrashed in his arms, whining in distress when he saw that Thinzal had a grip on Acxa and Vezlan had a grip on Regris. Krolia got up and charged after them, growling loudly. 

Vrix led his group to the hangars, dropping the three kits into the pod they had arrived in. Regris, acting on his instinct as an older brother, pulled Keith and Acxa into his sides and held them protectively. Krolia was close behind, chasing them with the intent to get her kits back. 

“Vezlan, you go fight her off. Come back when you hear the engine starting.” Vrix instructed. Vezlan nodded and jumped off of the pod, pausing when he saw Krolia. He pulled out his blade and swung at the woman, only for her to evade him and charge at him with her own blade. 

-

“Mom!” Keith shouted, struggling out of Regris’ arms and going to run off of the pod, only to be restrained by Thinzal at the last minute. He thrashed wildly and whimpered. 

“Stay still and it will be easier for all of us.” Thinzal said, setting Keith down next to Regris, who immediately pulled Keith close and grooming his hair gently. “There is food and hydration packs if you need them.” He added, getting up when he felt the engine start up. Soon after, Vezlan returned and sat down. 

Keith let out an anguished wail as the pod launched from the hangars. 

-

Krolia stared in shock for a few seconds as she watched the pod pull out of the hangars. She blinked a few times and pulled out her datapad, sending an urgent message to her pack to call them down to the hangars. She went out and started to load a pod with supplies, from food and water to basic first-aid supplies. She felt her eyes fill with tears when she saw her pack rush in, looking extremely worried. She took a few steps forward and was immediately pulled into Thace’s arms as she cried.

“What in the universe happened, Krolia?” He asked worried. Through her tears, Krolia explained that the three had taken their kits. Kolivan growled lowly and pulled out his datapad.

“I should have anticipated this. They are from a base that openly despises my leadership. Of course they would use my kits to affect me.” He said. “We will go to their base and try to meet them there. Heavens knows what could happen to our kits in the meantime.” He decided, using his datapad to postpone all the meetings he had for the foreseeable future, unsure of how long he would be gone. He knew that, going at a safe speed, the base was about a four-day trip away from the base. Yet, he didn’t know how fast the ship that his kits were in was going; it could be going at a slightly unsafe speed to get to the base faster.

“We must leave as soon as possible. Krolia, your loading supplies onto a pod already was smart, we can launch right away.” Ulaz said, taking a spot at the pilot’s seat and waiting until his pack had strapped themselves in before launching out of the hangars. “Thace, track the pod that has our kits, please?” He asked. Thace nodded and scrambled for his datapad, transferring the tracker onto Ulaz’s screen. 

-

Keith and Acxa hadn’t calmed down since they had been taking, alternating between crying and whining miserably. Acxa was pacing in their small allotted area, agitated.

Regris, feeling the need to be strong for his two little siblings, was struggling to reign in his own emotions on the situation. The fur on the back of his neck and trailing down his spine was raised, a signal from the longer-furred Galra that they felt threatened. He held Keith close to his side, grooming him gently. He watched Acxa with a close eye, always watching their captors from the corner of his eye. 

He felt Keith start to shiver against him, frowning in worry. He glanced down at his little brother and purred. 

“What is the matter, Keith?” He asked gently. Keith shrugged and nestled himself against’s Regris.

“I’m cold, Regris.” Keith said. Regris sighed softly and glanced around. He knew Keith was cold, the youngest kit had always gotten cold easily. He looked over at Thinzal, who had been as gentle as possible with him. Perhaps he would be willing to help him get his brother warm? He shuffled forward and tapped the Galra on the shoulder until he turned around. 

“My brother is cold. Can we have a blanket?” Regris asked. Thinzal nodded and handed them a few blankets. 

“Kits, for what it is worth, we do not intend to seriously hurt you. You are simply… ransom, in a way.” Thinzal said. Regris looked at him distrustingly and wrapped Keith in one of the blankets, coaxing Acxa into his other side before wrapping a blanket around her as well. He grabbed a hydration pack and urged his two siblings to drink. He even managed to feed each of them a few bites of the food, but no more because neither of them had much of an appetite.

The entire time, he neglected to keep himself fed and hydrated. In his mind, they had no idea when they were going to land or get more supplies, so it was the obvious choice to him to allow his siblings to have the food and water over him. 

He tucked his siblings back into his sides, rumbling quietly as they fell asleep. 

-

Antok hadn’t stopped pacing since the pack had left. His tail was sweeping back and forth in worry for his kits, and Kolivan could see the fur on the back on his neck sticking up. Kolivan got up and gently put a hand on Antok’s back, unsurprised when he felt the fur along his mate’s spine sticking straight up. 

“‘Tok, please settle down. You will only run yourself ragged.” Kolivan said. Antok frowned and slowly nodded, sitting down. He had become very attached to his kits, and was constantly worried for their safety on a regular day, so it was normal for him to be worked up and worried.

“How far are we from our kits, Ulaz?” Krolia asked, her ears pinned back as she laid against Thace.

“About three vargas. Luckily, they seem to be heading towards their own base. But our poor kits, they must be so scared and confused right now.” Ulaz said. Krolia nodded and whimpered.

“They just woke up from their naps, too. They were still tired and confused, I can hardly imagine how they must feel.” Krolia said. Antok whined quietly, growling in frustration.

“Is there any way we can speed up to them?” Thace asked.

“Not unless you all are willing to risk an unsafe travel.” Ulaz answered gently. 

“As much as I would like to say we should speed up, I do not want to risk serious injury to ourselves. I am sure our kits would prefer us a few vargas late but safe and sound than arrive early and be seriously injured.” Kolivan said. Ulaz nodded and sighed quietly. “By the way, Ulaz, let me drive for a bit. You need to rest and regroup.” He said, urging Ulaz to step away from the pilot’s seat and curl up at Thace’s side. 

-

Regris watched as Keith and Acxa fell asleep. He was wary of falling asleep as well, unsure of what would happen to his siblings or to himself if he didn’t stand guard. But, he knew he couldn’t go forever without sleeping. Perhaps he could asked one of his siblings to keep watch when they woke up so that he could sleep for a little bit. 

He sat up, glancing at their captors every once in a while. They seemed to be ignoring the three kits for the most part, allowing them to have their own space. Regris stuck close to his siblings at all times, occasionally straying a bit further to stretch his legs before sitting back down. 

Regris was instantly aware of the fact that Keith was awake, his eyes drooping in fatigue as he considered how nice it would feel to sleep. He looked over and smiled gently as his youngest siblings, urging him to drink some water and eat a bit of food. 

“Regris?” Keith asked quietly. 

“Yes, Keith?” Regris asked gently.

“I miss mom and papa. And I miss daddy, dad, and pa.” Keith said. Regris nodded and smiled. 

“I know you do, Keith. We’ll get back to them soon, okay? I bet they’re coming for us as we speak.” Regris said. “Hey, do you think you can possibly stay up and keep watch while I sleep? I don’t want all of us asleep at the same time.” Regris said. Keith nodded and urged Regris to lay down, draping a blanket over him and using another blanket, folded up, as a pillow. Regris fell asleep within a few minutes, absolutely exhausted. 

Keith sighed quietly as he regarded their captors.

“Why do you want us so bad?” Keith called. Vezlan turned around when he heard the kit, his ears flicking in confusion.

“For ransom. Your pack can get you back if they step down from power.” Vezlan explained. Keith growled quietly and laid down with his head on Regris’ shoulder. He whimpered quietly.

“And what will you do with us if they don’t come to get us?” Keith asked quietly.

“Well, I can not say for sure. Most likely we will let you be raised by a pack at our base. We are not awful.” Vezlan said. Keith scoffed and sat up. He curled up against the wall and sighed quietly. Acxa woke up and looked at Keith, frowning.

“What’s the matter?” She asked, moving so that she was sitting next to her twin. Keith huffed and shrugged, shuffling away from his sister, despite her attempts to pull him into a reassuring embrace. Acxa shrugged and draped a blanket over him, drinking some water and forcing herself to eat a bit of food. Glancing over at Regris, she gently nudged him awake.

“You haven’t eaten or drank anything yet.” She said when Regris’ eyes cracked open. He was clearly not happy about being woken up, glaring at his little sister for a moment before sitting up. He waved away the food and water Acxa offered him. 

“You guys will need it.” He said simply. Acxa broke off a piece of a nutrition bar and pressed it against Regris’ lips in an attempt to get him to eat it. Regris turned his head away and gently pushed her arm out of his face. “Look, Acxa, I appreciate that you’re concerned about me. But really, I don’t need it. We don’t know when we’ll get off or resupply the food we have. You guys need it more than I do.” He explained.

-

“What are our chances of harm if we speed up to catch up with our kits?” Antok asked out of curiosity. Thace shrugged and pulled out his datapad again, sighing softly.

“Well, we’d need to speed up substantially, so pretty close to 100%.” Thace said. Antok nodded and sighed quietly. He wrapped his tail around himself and whimpered miserably, pausing when Krolia hugged him.

“Our kits will be safe. Even they could not be so evil as to cause serious harm to our kits.” Krolia said. Antok nodded, though he couldn’t stop himself from flicking his tail in distress and tension, laying down in the back of the pod where there was room for him to stretch out. He shuffled lazily and grabbed the blankets from the storage and used them to construct a nest. It was something productive for him to do to distract himself, so no one really minded. 

“What are you building a nest for, Antok?” Ulaz asked gently. Antok bristled and shuffled around the nest, smoothing out wrinkles and fluffing up the blankets to make it look more inviting. 

“Our kits will need it to be comforted, a nest will help with that.” Antok said simply, standing up and frowning critically at the nest. “Do you think our kits will fit? I may have to expand it.” He said, going back into the storage room to find more blankets. Ulaz watched with a small, sad smile; Antok always fussed with things like his nest when he was nervous.

-

It was three and a half days later when the pod landed in the hangars of the smaller base. Keith was trying to get Regris to eat, though the eldest kit was still refusing on the basis that his siblings may need it. He was weaker due to that fact, shuffling slowly after his siblings as they were led off of the pod. Vrix smiled at them, a toothy grin that reminded Keith of the creepiest people he had encountered on Earth. 

“You will be given a room to stay in while you are here. Thinzal, show them to the room.” He said, walking away with Vezlan in tow. Thinzal sighed and walked away, waiting for the three kits to catch up to him.

Keith was led through a winding series of hallways, keeping close to Regris for comfort. Regris kept himself between his siblings and Thinzal, clearly not trusting him as he wrapped his tail around Acxa and his arm around Keith, letting them nestle against him in order to feel a little safer; they knew that Regris would protect them with his life, making sure that they were safe above himself. 

“Here you go.” Thinzal said, opening the door to a room. It was small, but it could fit all of them comfortably with room to spare. There were a few blankets, but not enough to make a nest, and a water jug for them, as well as a basket with a few snacks. 

“If you need a refill of food or water, please let us know.” Thinzal said, leaving the room. Acxa hissed and sat down, frowning.

“I hope mom and everyone else gets here soon.” She said softly. Regris nodded and gently ran his hands through her hair.

“I promise that they’re probably on their way right now.” He said gently. “They can’t be more than a few vargas away, I guarantee it.” He added. Keith nodded and filled a cup with water, pressing the rim to Regris’ lips. The eldest kit only turned his head away, frowning.

“Keith, you guys may need it.” Regris said. 

“But you’re definitely dehydrated, Regris. Please just drink this cup, if nothing else until we’re rescued.” Keith pleaded. 

 

“No. We don’t know if they’ll refill that water after all, and you guys need it.” Regris insisted. Keith sighed and sat back, shaking his head as he handed the cup to Acxa to drink. 

“Sleep, then. You need it.” Keith said, draping one of the blankets over his older brother with a smile. Regris slowly nodded and laid down, pillowing his head on Keith’s lap. Keith absentmindedly scratched at Regris’ ears, sighing quietly as he regarded the protein bars they had been given. He grabbed one and ate it, leaning back. “Do you think everyone will really come for us?” He asked.

“Of course! They love us, so they are obviously going to try to save us.” Acxa said. Keith frowned and looked down at his lap.

“But one of them said that we’re bait to get Kolivan to step down from power.” Keith said, as though the result of that were obvious.

“So? They will save us, I know it.” Acxa said.

“Really? Because they’ll put power over us, and they’ll abandon us and leave us for dead. That’s what’s going to happen, Acxa, just accept it.” Keith said.

“Keith, I don’t know how parents behave on Earth, but among Galra, parents put their kits above everything. Plus, they love us, and they will do anything for us.” Acxa said. Keith frowned and laid on his back.

“I guess. And, really, that’s how a lot of parents on Earth behaved. But, I was in foster care, and a lot of the parents didn’t really care about me. They just passed me back to the system whenever I became too… unruly, or inconvenient. Of course, some of them were really nice, but something happened and I always had to leave.” Keith said. Acxa nodded and moved so that she was sitting next to her twin.

“Why did you have to leave the nice ones, if you don’t mind me asking?” Acxa asked. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, though.” She added quickly. 

“Well, the first really good family I had was an elderly couple that fostered a couple of other kids. I was, oh, nine maybe? They were so nice to me, but the wife died. And well, the man died soon after that. Because of that, I was passed back to the system. Then, when I was like, eleven or so, I was put into this home that was a middle-aged couple who fostered kids. They were trying their best, but I was just confrontational. But they never seemed to completely give up on me. They were really nice, actually. Then I went to the Garrison and I never really went back after Shiro supposedly died.” Keith said softly. 

“They were the only good families you had?” Acxa asked. 

“Well, they were the really nice ones. I had a few families that weren’t bad, but they didn’t really… care, I guess? They just left me to my own devices until I did something that crossed the line for them, and they gave me back to the system.” Keith said. Acxa nodded and hugged Keith tightly.

“Well, you have your pack now. You have mom now, and she loves us kits more than anything. And the rest of our pack loves us so, so much.” Acxa said. Keith smiled and nodded and leaned against his sister.

-

“We are almost there. Do you think our kits will be okay?” Thace said, his ears pinning back once against in distress.

“I am not entirely sure that they will be okay. At the very least, they will be distressed over being forcefully separated from us and not being returned to us for quite some time. Worst case scenario is that they were injured or killed by those who have taken them.” Ulaz said softly. Kolivan whined, tugging at his braid out of nerves, causing Antok to gently pry Kolivan’s fingers off of his braid.

“My mate, you will only cause yourself pain if you do that.” The largest Galra said gently, nuzzling his mate and taking a moment to scent him. “We will get our kits back soon, I just know it.” He reassured, though he wasn’t sure himself. He glanced at the nest he had made in the back of the pod; it was a crude, hastily thrown together as a way to take his mind off of the situation. It was functional as a nest, sure, but he supposed he could have put a bit more thought into making it look more cohesive.

“Indeed, we will. Everyone get strapped in, we are going to land within the next ten doboshes, and I do not want anyone injured.” Ulaz instructed. Antok grumbled quietly but did as he was told, despite wanting to be able to get put immediately upon landing to get his kits. Having the safety belt on would only hinder his efforts and make him take a few moments to undo it. 

Kolivan nestled as close to his mate as he could with the safety belt on, rumbling quietly in an attempt to soothe him. Though, his efforts were lost due to the fact that his voice was patchy and rough due to his own nerves. Antok smiled and groomed Kolivan’s hair away from his face in the time it took them to land. When the largest Galra felt the jolt of the pod landing, however, he wrestled to get the safety belt off as quick as possible, not waiting for the ramp to extend and instead jumping down onto the hangar floors. Krolia wasn’t far behind, snarling at the nearest hangar attendant. 

“Where are my kits?” She demanded. The attendant looked at them and frowned.

“I was told to direct you to Vrix, the head of this base. Something about leadership? He is in the head office.” They said. Krolia nodded and stalked out of the hangars, the other four adults of the pack in tow. 

Kolivan led the way once they had exited the hangars; he knew that every base was laid out in a very similar way, and the head office was always in the center of the base. It was a defense strategy, so it would take longer for invaders to get to the leader. Though, in past invasions of bases, the leader had always chosen to fight alongside their brothers-in-arms. As the doors to the head office came into view, Kolivan sped up, stopping right in front of the door and rapping his knuckles against the hard metal until it slid open, revealing Vrix. 

“Hello, leader. Come in.” He said pleasantly, stepping aside. Kolivan resisted the urge to growl, though Ulaz didn’t do the same, growling lowly as he glanced around for any sign of his kits. 

“Where are our kits?” Thace asked. Vrix smiled and sat down at his desk.

“Ah, yes. Quite nice kits they are, really. Quiet on the way here without us even telling them to be. You can have them back safe and sound if you give up your leadership positions.” Vrix said. 

“And why did you feel the need to take our kits for this point?” Kolivan asked. 

“Well, my comrades and I were thinking and, well, the things anyone would value most was their kits. It would be a perfect bribe.” Vrix explained. Krolia stepped forward with every intention of attacking Vrix, being held back at the last second by Antok, who looked every bit as murderous.   
“We won’t give up our leadership positions. We were picked for this job because we were considered to be the greatest at our jobs within the blade, the most qualified to perform certain duties and to oversee operations.” Thace said. Vrix shrugged and got up. 

“Very well, then. I wanted to do this peacefully, but I suppose we could do it the hard way as well. Kolivan, you will duel for the right to your leadership positions and your kits.” Vrix said. 

“Alright.” Kolivan said without hesitation. Vrix nodded and led Kolivan to one of the private training rooms, taking out his blade and letting it morph into the sword form. His blade was long and thin, curving slightly at the end in a way that made it almost look like a cane. Kolivan morphed his blade into its sword form, quiet and calm. On the observation deck, his pack watched with bated breath; in their opinion, Kolivan was far too calm for the situation at hand. 

“Rules are similar to a trial: no killing your opponent, the first to yield is the loser. No holds barred on technique.” Vrix said. Kolivan nodded.

“That seems fair. Antok, would you be so kind as to ring the starting bell?” Kolivan asked, looking up at the observation deck. 

Antok’s tail flicked in irritation. He was tempted to refuse, yet he was unsure of any other way for the situation to play out. He hovered his hand over the bell on the railing with a sigh.

“Starting positions.” He said. Vrix took an offensive stance, intending to be strike first, while Kolivan took a defensive stance. Antok made a soft, dismayed breath before pressing down on the bell, a shrill ringing overtaking the training hall for a short second. Immediately, Vrix launched himself at Kolivan, who barely avoided being tackled to the ground. 

The fight had begun. Kolivan seemed to be employing a quieter, more technical method, thought-out. Vrix seemed to be acting like a recruit during their trials, slashing randomly with a hope of hitting something. This gave Kolivan’s pack a bit more hope that he could win. 

Kolivan moved around the room, hissing quietly when he felt Vrix’s blade slice at his skin. He knew just by glancing at it that it wasn’t too deep, but the short moment of distraction gave Vrix the chance to move in closer and get a closer hit on him. Kolivan cried out when the blade sliced deeper at him. He was a bit more concerned about the wound, but he didn’t dare yield. He kicked out his leg, managing to hit Vrix square in the abdomen and causing the other to double over. 

Kolivan quickly slammed the hilt of his blade against the other’s back, causing the other to fall to the ground. He pressed the tip of his blade to his chest, just hovering above the heart; not close enough to pierce the skin, but if Vrix moved in any way, he would be impaled by the blade.

“I said no killing!” Vrix shouted.

“I am not. I am merely using my position to my advantage.” Kolivan said simply. “Now, you have no choice but to yield or face death.” He pointed out. 

“Fine! I yield!” Vrix shouted. Kolivan nodded and pulled his blade away, letting Vrix sit up. He offered his uninjured arm to help Vrix up, smiling politely.

“Now that I have won, tell me where my kits are.” He said. Vrix grumbled as he sat up.

“Your kits are in our guest hall, last door on the fifth hallway.” He said. Kolivan nodded and moved to the door, turning back to Vrix.

“I will ensure that you are no longer the leader of this base.” He said. “You are lucky the blades have sworn not to kill their own.” He added, moving to meet his pack. Ulaz and Antok were shoving past each other to get to him first, though Antok won out in the end due to his larger size and strength compared to Ulaz. 

“My mate, you are hurt!” Anto shouted, examining Kolivan’s injuries. Ulaz frowned and came over with one of the first aid kits from the training rooms, wrapping a bandage around both of the wounds.

“Your deeper wounds will need stitches. I have them on the pod in case of emergencies, so this will do for now until we get to our kits and leave.” Ulaz said gently. Kolivan nodded and let his pack lead him to the room their kits were in. 

Krolia slid open the door, crouching down as she was tackled by her twins. She wrapped her arms tightly around them and buried her face in their hair.

“Oh, my kits. I missed you so much.” She said. Keith whimpered as he clutched at his mother, burying his face in her shoulder.

“Is Regris okay? He seems rather… off.” Ulaz said. He gently pinched up the skin on the eldest kit’s hand, wincing at how slowly it returned. “He is severely dehydrated, yet you two aren’t.” He said, confused. Acxa whimpered and looked at Ulaz.

“He wouldn’t eat or drink at all, thinking that we would need it.” She explained. Ulaz nodded and made a noise of concern, picking Regris up and carrying him to the pod. Antok followed his Keith in his arms, the youngest kit clutching onto his tail with a death grip and whimpering. Krolia was carrying Acxa, Thace close by.

-

As Keith was lowered into the nest on the pod, he immediately whined at the lack of touch. Antok settled down next to him and offered his tail for the kit to keep clutching onto. 

“Please make sure Regris eats and drinks. Small sips and not a lot of food at once, remember.” Ulaz said, though Antok already knew that; he had been trained in the event that someone on a mission didn’t eat or drink for a few days, as all blades were.

“Of course.” Antok said. He glanced at Thace and smiled pleadingly, not wanting to separate himself from Keith. Thace nodded and helped Regris sit up, offering a hydration pack.

“Small sips, Reg, small sips.” Thace said, coaxing Regris to drink some of the hydration pack. After he had finished off the pack, Thace pulled out some light granola, feeding Regris small bites, separating every few bites with a sip from the hydration packs. 

Ulaz looked at Kolivan and started to stitch up the wound, glancing at Keith and Acxa.

Keith buried his face in Antok’s shoulder, trying to scent him and growing distress when he couldn’t smell his pack member. Antok knew that it was because Keith’s senses weren’t as strong as a Galra, so he gently pressed Keith against the area of his neck that he knew his scent was strongest at, smiling when Keith relaxed. 

Acxa smiled and curled up against Krolia, smiling as she nuzzled her mom. 

“We missed you kits.” Krolia said as she settled down in the nest. Keith glanced over and smiled, frowning as his eyes flicked over to Regris.

“Papa?” He called out quietly. Ulaz looked over from stitching up Kolivan’s wounds. Quickly, he looked back to the task at hand so he didn’t accidentally hurt his pack member.

“Yes, kit?” He asked. 

“Is Regris going to be okay?” Keith asked worriedly. Ulaz smiled gently and nuzzled Kolivan when the leader whimpered from the pain due to them not having enough numbing agent.

“I have all the confidence that he will be, my kit. Galra can go quite a bit longer than humans without food or water, although it isn’t recommended. Like Regris is, many start to get weak after several days without either. We will continue to give him food and water, and if worst comes to worst, he will spend a few days in the medical bay under close oberservation. However, you needn’t worry, that is usually only necessary under extreme circumstances,.” Ulaz said. Keith nodded and clutched onto Antok’s tail, relaxing. Antok smiled and held Keith tightly, rummaging around for a suitable blanket to keep his kit warm. He didn’t mind the tight grip on his tail, as he would much rather have his tail being gripped as tightly as it was rather than his ears, which were Keith’s second favorite spot to clutch onto in his sleep. 

Ulaz finished the final stitches on Kolivan and nudged him into the nest. He turned to Keith and Acxa, checking them both for injuries.

“Did they hurt you, kits? Please don’t tell me they hurt you.” He said. Keith shook his head and reached out, clutching onto Ulaz’s shirt. 

“No, they didn’t hurt us.” Acxa said. Ulaz relaxed and smiled, giving them both a hydration pack.

“Go to sleep and get me if you need anything. I will be flying for a while, and then I will switch out with Krolia.” Ulaz said. Keith rolled so that he was lying between Krolia and Antok, smiling and stretching out. Acxa nestled on the other side of Krolia, relaxing. Kolivan nestled against Antok, the larger of the two curling protectively around his mate. 

Thace laid Regris down and smiled, laying down next to him and letting the kit nestle close. Regris yawned and rolled over, mumbling quietly as he relaxed in Thace’s arms, his tail thumping slowly and lazily against the blankets until he fell asleep. 

-

Keith was awoken by his mother leaving her spot between himself and Acxa. He let out and low whine and reached out meekly. At the sound, Krolia looked over and smiled, picking her son up and setting him down on the bench at the pilot’s seat, long enough for three average-sized Galra, and perfect for Keith to lay down and still be close to her. Looking over, she could see Acxa laying on her other side, and she just let both of them sleep against her and she started her night of flying. 

Keith smiled and laid down on the bench, still wrapped in his blanket. He looked around briefly and smiled, relaxing. 

He knew that he was home. He could hear Antok’s loud snoring and Regris’ tail smacking on the blankets in response to his dream. He saw Kolivan sitting up, getting himself a drink of water before going to bed once again. 

Yes, he was home once again, and he knew that his pack would probably never let him out of their sight, much less let him be taken again.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr legendary-marmorans!


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